AFL - The Australian Football League

From March to September Australian Rules Football (AFL) teams fight it out to make the top eight and qualify for the final series held in Melbourne in September. AFL is Australia’s most attended sporting league, with passionately-supported teams in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. Close to 95,000 fans pack the stands of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the grand final while millions watch it worldwide on television. There’s nothing like being there for the final series. The entire city takes on a carnival atmosphere as excited fans cheer their teams to victory. It is a truly unique Australian experience.

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AFL - The Australian Football League

From March to September Australian Rules Football (AFL) teams fight it out to make the top eight and qualify for the final series held in Melbourne in September.

From March to September Australian Rules Football (AFL) teams fight it out to make the top eight and qualify for the final series held in Melbourne in September. AFL is Australia’s most attended sporting league, with passionately-supported teams in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. Close to 95,000 fans pack the stands of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the grand final while millions watch it worldwide on television. There’s nothing like being there for the final series. The entire city takes on a carnival atmosphere as excited fans cheer their teams to victory. It is a truly unique Australian experience.

Australian Rules Football (AFL) is Australia’s most attended sporting league, with passionately-supported teams in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. Games are played around the country from March, culminating in the finals series in Melbourne in September.

Australian rules football was officially born inMelbourne in 1859, when the Melbourne Football Club formed and set out the first rules of play. In 1897, they joined with Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne and St Kilda to form the Victorian Football League. This was the predecessor to the Australian Football League (AFL), which was formed in 1989 and today has 18 teams across Australia.

The sport’s origins have been debated, but historians have pointed to a fusion of influences, including the Irish game of ‘caid’, rugby union and traditional Aboriginal games such as marngrook.

AFL match at the MCG, Melbourne, VIC

Today this high-energy and fast-paced game features two teams of 18 players, who must advance an oval-shaped ball towards the goalposts by kicking, handballing and running. The aim of the game is to score by pushing the ball through the posts or kicking it through the middle two posts. Australian Rules is a contact sport and players are allowed to tackle with their hands or obstruct other players with their bodies.

You can catch this uniquely Australian sport at more than 100 home-and-away games held between late March and September. See the Sydney Swans at the Sydney Cricket Ground; the West Coast Eagles play at the Wacca in Perth; or the Brisbane Bears display their prowess at the Gabba.

For a true taste of AFL fever, you can’t beat the Grand Final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The entire city takes on a carnival atmosphere as two tribes compete for victory. Grand final passions run high in Melbourne, where fans are often divided along loyalties stretching back generations.

Of all Australian sport, AFL also has the highest representation of Aboriginal players. It’s hugely popular in Aboriginal communities, including the lush Tiwi Islands near Darwin, where life comes to a standstill for the Grand Football Final in March.

More Holiday Ideas

Discover Melbourne's secret laneways and rooftops, the cultural hub of Federation Square, buzzing bars, boutiques and eateries, and the iconic MCG. Experience St Kilda, the Royal Botanic Gardens, bohemian Brunswick Street and the nation-stopping excitement of the Spring Racing Carnival. Join world class events such as the Australian Grand Prix. Day trip to the Mornington Peninsula or to Phillip Island for fairy penguins.

There's no time for sleep in Melbourne, a city where culture buffs, sport nuts, fashion lovers and foodies all have their niche. Discover cafes, bars and boutiques in city laneways sprawling secretly off ordered streets. Soak up the vibrant riverside atmosphere from Southbank and visit Federation Square, where creative and café culture meet. Cruise down the Yarra and wander the lawns and lakes of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Soak up the unique energy of the city's diverse precincts, from upmarket South Yarra to beachside St Kilda and edgy Fitzroy. Then day trip to the beaches, wineries, galleries and golf courses of the Mornington Peninsula.

Sport is something of a national obsession in Australia. We're avid followers of ‘footy', which covers everything from rugby union to the uniquely Australian AFL. We play backyard and beach cricket all summer and turn out in our thousands to watch the iconic Boxing Day test at Melbourne's MCG. Summer is also the season we become amateur commentators at our Grand Slam tennis tournament. We have lush, championship-designed golf courses across the country and host many premier golf events. Our marathons attract hundreds of thousands of runners and rev-heads everywhere know about our car racing events such as the Formula 1 Australia Grand Prix.

The Yarra Valley is home to more than 80 wineries, ranging from small, family-owned operations to large estates. The region is renowned for producing Australia's finest pinot noir and sparkling wine, along with a range of other cool-climate wines. It was Victoria's first planted wine region back in 1838. The region is known for its fresh produce including freshwater salmon, trout and caviar, organically grown fruit and vegetables and handmade cheeses and preserves. Follow one of the many self-drive wine trails and fill your picnic hamper on the Yarra Valley Food Trail or at the many huge, fresh food markets.

*Disclaimer: All prices quoted are in Indian Rupees (INR). Tourism Australia is not a travel agent and is not responsible for providing, controlling or facilitating bookings of the offers on the products and services on this page. Such offers, products and services are provided by individual airline operators and are subject to the terms and conditions imposed by those parties. Please visit the airline operator’s website for further information and to avail the offer. Tourism Australia makes no representations or guarantees as to the reliability, currency, accuracy or availability of the information provided on this page. Links to third party sites are for your information only and Tourism Australia makes no representations whatsoever about any other websites which you may access through this website. Tourism Australia does not control these sites nor accept any responsibility for the use of sites which are owned or operated by third parties and makes no representation or warranty in relation to the standard, class, quality, service levels, or fitness for purpose of any services, nor does it endorse or in any respect warrant any products or services by virtue of any information, material or content linked from or to this site.

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